Sights in Dakar
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Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noir (IFAN) Museum
The IFAN Museum is one of the best museums in West Africa. Lively, imaginative displays show masks and traditional dress across the region (including Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Benin and Nigeria) and provide an excellent overview of styles, without bombarding you with more than you can take in.
The museum is a testimony to former President Senghor's interest in promoting African art and culture. You can also see beautiful fabrics and carvings, drums, musical instruments and agricultural tools, though there are no English explanations and, sadly, not much from Senegal itself.
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Maison des Esclaves
This building is one of the last remaining 18th-century slave-trading houses on the island. Built in 1786 and renovated in 1990, it serves as a graphic reminder of that cruel commerce. There is, however, considerable debate as to the building's historical significance.
Although it's probable the dungeon was used to hold slaves, it's unlikely that this building or indeed any other on the island was used to ship considerable numbers of slaves. Still, a visit here is an evocative way to bring to life the horrors of that era.
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Soumbédioune
Northwest of the centre, and well worth the trip, is the fishing beach and market of Soumbédioune, originally a village but now a suburb engulfed by the city. It's best in the late afternoon when the fishing boats are returning with their catch.
This is also a major centre of pirogue (canoe) building, and behind the fish market you'll see carpenters turning planks and tree trunks into large ocean-going canoes. The Village Artisanal nearby is full of craft stalls and large groups of tourists.
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Layen Mausoleum
There's a fantastically wide beach near the fishing village of Yoff. The stretch of beach closest to the village is quite polluted, with a fish market dominating most of the scene. The traditional Yoff village and its majestic Layen Mausoleum, however, are well worth a visit. The residents there are noted for the strong Islamic culture. Smoking and drinking are not allowed and visitors should be appropriately dressed (meaning long skirts for women, long trousers for men).
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Mosqué de la Divinité
Taking the coastal road northwards, you'll see the stunning Mosqué de la Divinité perched on the coast near Les Mamelles quartier. Les Mamelles Lighthouse, off Rte de la Corniche-Ouest, is just a 25-minute walk or 1km drive north from here, on a small volcanic hill. You get an excellent view across Dakar from the 1864 building; visits are best made during the day and are free of charge.
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Plage de la Voile d'Or
The Plage de Hann, once one of Dakar's finest strands, is now an environmental catastrophe due to illegal sewage disposal by the adjacent industrial zone. South of here, in the shelter of Pointe de Bel-Air, are the private beaches Plage de la Voile d'Or and the adjacent Plage Monaco (admission around CFA650), where occasional beach concerts take place year-round.
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Secret
On the route towards Les Almadies, the so-called Secret is a favourite surfing spot, while further north, Dakar's finest sand stretches along the coast of N'Gor, where beach access costs around CFA500, and Yoff. Strong currents make Yoff's beaches largely unsuitable for swimming, but most beach lovers head there anyway, or to Île de Gorée .
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Salon Michèle Ka
In Point E, the Salon Michèle Ka is not only the funkiest hairdressing salon in town, but also one of the most original art galleries. The whole salon, from styling tables to wall displays, is decorated with urban sous-verre motifs à la car rapide. It's an absolute must-see - you don't need to get a new hairstyle to visit.
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Plage de l'Anse Bernard
Beaches within easy reach of the city centre include the private Plage Lagon II, near Hôtel Lagon II, and Plage de l'Anse Bernard near Hôtel Le Savana. Those along the Rte de la Corniche-Ouest are popular with local joggers, picnic parties and Sai-Sais. Strong currents make them less suitable for swimming.
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Cathedral
The cathedral is a large but fairly unspectacular 1920s building. It's still worth a glimpse, being the main cathedral of the capital city, and the adjacent garden has a leafy children's playground - your kids will no doubt prefer to staying there rather than take a tour of Dakar's impressive colonial buildings.
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Hôtel de Ville
Central Dakar has a few impressive colonial buildings. There's the Gouvernance and the Chambre de Commerce, both on Place de l'Indépendance. The stately Hôtel de Ville sits right behind, and a short walk north takes you to the elegant building of the train station.
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Grande Mosquée
The impressive Grande Mosquée built in 1964, sits in the heart of Médina, a lively neighbourhood where tiny tailor shops fight for space with improvised market stalls, and creative ideas brew between street cafés and makeshift football grounds.
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Lighthouse
Les Mamelles Lighthouse, off Rte de la Corniche-Ouest, is just a 25-minute walk or 1km drive north from here, on a small volcanic hill. You get an excellent view across Dakar from the 1864 building; visits are best made during the day and are free of charge.
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Espace Culturel VEMA
The Espace Culturel VEMA is a ray of hope in the dreary industrial lands near the Île de Gorée ferry. Its spiced-up warehouse frequently houses exhibitions and events, but you need to phone first to see if anything's on.
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Yassine Arts Center
You can't miss the gargantuan, lion-shaped entry to the Yassine Arts Center. Exhibitions here have a habit of spilling over into the hotel, theatre, restaurant and even the fitness centre that form part of the complex.
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Assemblée Nationale
The road has since been renamed Av Léopold Senghor, although most locals still refer to it by its old name. The Assemblée Nationale, with its modern glass façade, is easy to reach from here.
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Chambre de Commerce
There's the Gouvernance and the Chambre de Commerce on either side of Place de l'Indépendance, a remarkable space itself because it is huge, wide, lined by grand buildings and symmetrically laid out.
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Gouvernance
There's the Gouvernance and the Chambre de Commerce on either side of Place de l'Indépendance, a remarkable space itself because it is huge, wide, lined by grand buildings and symmetrically laid out.
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Plage Monaco
In the shelter of Pointe de Bel-Air, are the private beaches Plage de la Voile d'Or (admission around CFA650) and the adjacent Plage Monaco, where occasional beach concerts take place year-round.
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Train Station
A short walk north takes you to the train station, whose elegant façade inspires ideas of romantic train journeys (quickly wiped away once you enter the bleak interior).
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Plage de N'gor
Dakar's best beaches are found in the north of the peninsula. Plage de N'gor isn't bad, but better are the beaches on Île de N'gor, reached by pirogue (US$1) from there.
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Plage de Hann
The Plage de Hann, once one of Dakar's finest strands, is now an environmental catastrophe due to illegal sewage disposal by the adjacent industrial zone.
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Galerie Nationale
The space of the Galerie Nationale is slightly less enticing, but its frequently changing exhibitions of photography or paintings are usually very good.
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IFAN Museum
Near the Palais Présidentiel, the IFAN Museum has good, though slightly dusty, displays of masks and other items from across West Africa.
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Galerie Le Manège
The brilliant little Galerie Le Manège, in a beautifully restored 19th-century building, is also part of the French cultural complex.
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